NewsWIB July 2016

Spotlight on SWORWIB

SWORWIB Board Chair and

Business Partner selected for the Business Courier

2016 Class of "40 Under Forty "

Brad Brezinski

SWORWIB Board Chair, Brad Brezinski, Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Corporate Strategy for General Tool Company, was selected as one of the Cincinnati Business Courier's 2016 "40 Under Forty." Brad began his tenure as the SWORWIB Chair on January 1, 2016.

Brad joined General Tool Company (GTC) in early 2010 as the Director of the Project Management Office, responsible for the management and oversight of the firm's $100M+ project portfolio. In March 2012, he assumed his current position as CFO and Vice President of Corporate Strategy. Prior to joining GTC, Brad spent 14 years of highly decorated service in the Navy's prestigious Nuclear Power Program.

Brad is also a PhD Fellow in Management Design and Innovation at Case Western Reserve University. Brad and his wife Laura live in Loveland, Ohio with their four children.

Brad's impressive list of credentials made him eligible for the award. The SWORWIB is proud of his accomplishments and contributions to Cincinnati, Hamilton County and our country.

Tim Arnold

Entrepreneur and Business Owner, Tim Arnold, President of Lawn Life, Inc., was also selected for the Cincinnati Business Courier's 2016 list of "40 Under Forty."

Tim is not shy about the words printed on his business card: "Will hire anyone hanging out on the corner and help change the outcome of their life." His nonprofit, Lawn Life, not only hires at risk youth, but also trains them in the skills necessary to succeed in the lawn care maintenance business.

In a WCPO special that aired October, 2015, Tim told reporter, Tom McKee, "Twelve years old, I joined a gang. Thirteen years old, started selling drugs...By the time I was 18, I had 27 convictions on my juvenile record."

Jail time changed Tim Arnold's life. Since starting his company, Lawn Life Inc., Tim has helped hundreds of at-risk youth find employment and plan for the future.

The SWORWIB's relationship with Tim Arnold represents the type of workforce collaboration that inspires a commitment to a pathway out of poverty for youth who might not have had a second chance. As a proud partner of Lawn Life, the SWORWIB is sincerely grateful to Tim for the impact he and his staff have had on youth employment in our region.

To learn more about Lawn Life, click here.

Erin Childs

Erin Childs, President of Pro Bono Partnership of Ohio, was also named to the Cincinnati Business Courier's 2016 list of "40 Under Forty." Erin's organization was instrumental in providing contract reviews to support the SWORWIB during program year 2015-2016. Pro Bono was also a 2016 SWORWIB SuperPartner award winner.

Our congratulations and thanks to Erin and Pro Bono Partnership of Ohio for supporting the SWORWIB.

Spotlight on OhioMeansJobs

OhioMeansJobs Cincinnati-Hamilton County Job Fair

OhioMeansJobs Cincinnati-Hamilton County will hold one of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services six regional career fairs on August 5, 2016 at Scarlet Oaks Career Campus, 300 Scarlet Oaks Drive in Sharonville from 1-4pm. This event is free to employers and job seekers.

Job seekers should wear business attire and bring multiple copies of their resumes. OhioMeansJobs staff will be on hand to discuss resources available to job seekers and steer them toward companies now hiring. More than 100 companies and 400+ job seekers attended last year. A similar number of employers are on target to attend this year's Fair.

Hundreds of Employers and Job Seekers Attended the 2015 OhioMeansJobs Cincinnati-Hamilton County Career Fair

at Great Oaks

Companies attending the OhioMeansJobs.com Career Fair should call Janda Singleton-Johnson at 216-344-9966 to register.

Spotlight on Veterans

Tristate Veterans Community Alliance

Provides Workshop on Hiring Veterans


Dan Knowles, President of Tristate Veterans Community Alliance

Dan Knowles, President of the non-profit organization, Tristate Veterans Community Alliance, presented a two hour "Employers Hiring Veterans" workshop at OhioMeansJobs Cincinnati-Hamilton County on July 13, 2016.

Area organizations, SWORWIB and OMJ staff as well as local employers attended the workshop. Knowles provided information on how to best engage our community's veterans in employment. Knowles also presented different strategies that organizations might use during the interviewing and hiring processes.

Dan discussed the broad range of veterans' skills sets, education and training upon leaving the military in addition to their salary levels, which is often unknown to future employers.

In closing, Knowles recommended taking into consideration different interviewing strategies for veterans, more realistic salary offers and the on-boarding needs of veterans.

The message was clear that

veterans are well prepared to enter the workforce and make immediate contributions.

Spotlight on Youth

ResCare Celebrates Youth Accomplishments

As a new youth services provider under WIOA, ResCare Workforce Services has a lot to brag about this year. Beginning July 1, 2015, ResCare staff started recruiting out-of-school youth from the north and east sides of Hamilton County to engage in education, training and employment services. ResCare immediately recognized that many youth from these areas are struggling to complete high school, gain a GED and/or employment. Here are just a few student success stories from program year 2015-2016.

Iesha Crawley joined ResCare's Life Skills program in August 2015. At the time, she was pregnant but always knew she wanted to obtain her GED. In order to complete her STNA certification to jump start her career in Nursing, Iesha was adamant about completing her GED. In May 2016, Iesha had her first child and also received her GED. She graduated with her baby at her side, knowing she has a brighter future ahead for herself and her son.

Lajae Johnson recently enrolled in ResCare's Life Skills program. At the time, she informed her Life Skills coach that she only needed 2 credits to graduate from high school. Lajae completed her Life Skills program and attended school every day in order to obtain her high school diploma in May 2016. Not yet sure of what's next, Lajae is excited to have completed her high school diploma in such a short time and is now exploring her education and career options.

Keith Williams' ResCare career coach met him at the Cincinnati Downtown Library. Keith joined the Life Skills program so he could obtain his GED. He took the Tabe test, scoring a 25/25 - perfect score! Keith now stays home with his grandma, who has cancer, taking care of her and his younger cousins. During his time with the Life Skills program, he took the GED test without studying and passed on the first try. He also worked a subsidized job at the Cincinnati Herald where he assisted with publishing and data entry. Keith also participated in a college tour at Cincinnati State and is currently enrolled in Mechanical Engineering.

Darius Wright's story is like many other Cincinnati-Hamilton County youth. Darius was a high school drop out and homeless when he entered ResCare's Life Skills program. Darius said he had struggled with keeping a job because he did not have a stable foundation. His goal was to go back to school and earn his diploma. Darius received assistance from the Homeless Shelter for Young Adults and worked hard at his studies and his job. In May 2016, Darius graduated from the Dohn School with plans to continue his education.

Tajae Terrell is only 17 years old. He left high school because he was being bullied. ResCare encouraged him to enroll in Life Skills and to finish his high school diploma - he only needed four credits to graduate. With his family's support and ResCare staff's encouragement, Tajae went to school every day in order to complete his diploma. In May 2016, he graduated with the dream of pursuing a career in engineering.


Iesha Crawley

Tajae Terrell

With the care and support of ResCare Life Skills Career Coaches, Janet Ballew, William Allen, Gene Walker and Jeffery North, these students obtained their goals and now look forward to brighter futures.

SWORWIB News and Events

On July 18...

President Marshall presented an update to the regional Workforce Readiness Collaborative (WRC) on the SWORWIB's challenges and cutting edge strategies impacting the transition from the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) to the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).

The objectives of the WRC are to increase regional understanding of WIOA and how each workforce board is implementing changes in their counties as well as the impact WIOA will have on area populations. Other speakers included Barbara Stewart, Associate Director of the Northern Kentucky Workforce Investment Board and Angie Hodges, WIOA Employment Services Supervisor for OhioMeans Jobs Clermont County, Ohio. Lucy Crane, Director of Community Impact, and Annie Ryan, Business Intelligence Analyst, both of the United Way of Greater Cincinnati, provided an update on GSTARS.

The WRC Leadership Team members are: Talia Frye, Brighton Center; Glenna Parks, Cincinnati Works; Charlene McDaniel, Great Oaks Health Professions Academy; Alicia Fine, Greater Cincinnati Behavioral Health; and Joyce Weddle, LifePoint Solutions.

On July 23...

Thrive Impact Sourcing hosted the Cincinnati TechHire CodeSprint Kickoff at their offices on 2943 Riverside Drive, Cincinnati, which was sponsored by the CIO Roundtable of Cincinnati. The event was designed to attract organizations committed to supporting the training, development and hiring of Tech Talent in Cincinnati.

Individuals interested in an IT career path, joined the event to compete in HackerRank online competitions providing an opportunity to showcase their technology skills and possibly take home a few prizes. More than two dozen community leaders, employers, workforce organizations, IT professionals and training providers attended the all day event. Approximately 200 techies competed in the Hackathon worldwide, 37 from the Cincinnati area.

Cincinnati City Council Member, P.G. Sittenfeld; Cincinnati TechHire and CIO Roundtable Co-Chair, Geoff Smith; and Thrive Urban Impact Sourcing co-founders, Kelly Dolan and Michael Kroeger, opened the event by encouraging the Cincinnati community to continue supporting IT career pathways to fill the needs of local employers. According to Geoff Smith, colleges and universities in Cincinnati produce approximately 600 IT graduates a year while open positions with local companies run about 1800 annually, resulting in a tremendous talent gap.

Far Left: Michael Kroeger and Kelly Dolan; Far Right: P. G. Sittenfeld

Participants met with IT training providers, IT professionals and mentors to discuss the availability of short-term certifications for IT professionals vs. a 4-year degree that would support entry into the IT job market at less expense and less time.

For the remainder of the day, CodeSprint participants networked with local IT resources then began their online coding challenge through HackerRank.

Standing in back: Geoff Smith, Cincinnati TechHire and CIO Roundtable Co-Chair

Results of the event will be shared in the August 2016 SWORWIB newsletter. For information on HackerRank, click here.

On June 25-29...

President Marshall attended the U.S. Department of Labor's workforce training on Veterans Services at the University of Colorado in Denver. With veterans as first priority at job centers throughout America, OhioMeansJobs Cincinnati-Hamilton County staff are focused on comprehensive services that support veterans workforce needs.

In the Media

President Marshall was acknowledged in the July 7, 2016 issue of the Cincinnati Business Courier for the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals (NAWDP) H. G. Weisman Leadership Award. To read more, click here.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

The SWORWIB has a Facebook page where we post news, pictures, events and up-to-date information at https://www.facebook.com/sworwib. Our new Facebook followers include XPertHRUsa.

Also, follow us on Twitter @CincyWorkforce and we'll keep you informed throughout the month. The SWORWIB now has over 200 followers including @Cincy_Streetcar.

Donations Appreciated

The SWORWIB is a 501c3 non-profit organization. Would you or your organization like to support the continued success of the workforce board? To make a donation (tax deductible) to the SWORWIB in support of Cincinnati-Hamilton County workforce initiatives, click here.

Contact:

Cheryl Brueggeman

Youth/Public Information Consultant

cbrueggeman@sworwib.org